Most bike frames are made from steel or aluminum, but in recent years custom bike makers have started using a new material for a more stylish ride: wood. It might seem like a throwback, but wood frames are safe and durable enough to meet safety and durability

Most bike frames are made from steel or aluminum, but in recent years custom bike makers have started using a new material for a more stylish ride: wood. It might seem like a throwback, but wood frames are safe and durable enough to meet safety and durability standards. And there's another benefit of producing wood frames -- they look great. French bike maker BSG Bikes, which was founded by Thierry Boltz and Claude Saos, is the latest company to combine wood frames with metal components, and the result is a timeless bike that makes you want to go pedaling around the French countryside.

BSG Bikes pairs beech plywood frames with steel parts to give their WOOD.b bikes a classic, architectural quality. The bikes are designed to use standard bike parts like steel Columbus forks and bases. That means that despite the unique frame, WOOD.b owners can take their bikes to any bike shop to have them serviced. This also enables owners to customize the mechanical elements to their own liking.

So far, BSG has developed four different WOOD.b bike frames — Duomatic, Inter 7, Alfine 11, and Dualdrive — and the company has filed an international patent for the WOOD.b design. Owners are invited to personalize their bikes by choosing the tint of wood and the color of the stainless steel elements.